But you could be in a heap of trouble if there’s an accident, and that’s just the half of it.

Never mind that California law makes it, um, clear that it’s illegal to tint the windshield as well as front side windows. There is increasing case law that attorneys can clean out your bank account if someone is hurt and illegal tinted windows are involved.

With police patrols busier than ever with distracted driving, things like citing illegally dark tinted windows have gone by the wayside.

With police patrols busier than ever with distracted driving, things like citing illegally dark tinted windows have gone by the wayside.

With police patrols busier than ever with distracted driving, things like citing illegally dark tinted windows have gone by the wayside.

“During police pursuits,” the Glendale officer explains, “we don’t know if there’s one person or two or more.”

Jokingly, he adds, “It could be a clown car with 120 people coming out.”

Barrios’ point is that everything and anything could be inside a blacked out vehicle, including guns.

Understand, Barrios has seen tinted windows from both sides. When he was young, he was in a car with heavily tinted windows. He recalls not being able to make out what was going on outside.

Imagine, he offers, what the driver saw — and didn’t see.

“There are a lot of safety factors involving tinted windows,” Barrios allows. “If it’s dark or raining, you can definitely take out a pedestrian or a cyclist.”

The officer goes so far as to warn, “Stay away from cars with tinted windows.”

Although there is great discretion among different states, California follows recommended federal guidelines for vehicle safety and specifies minimum light transmittance must be at least 70 percent.

“We go more towards safety,” Barrios says, “rather than comfort.”

Good luck with that.

Serious consequences

In truth, many Californians do whatever they want when it comes to their vehicles.

My informal survey of various parking lots in the Southland found that at least one out of 10 vehicles violate tinting codes. In some areas, violations were even higher.

This edited conversation on Reddit says it all:

Breezin: “I’d say over half the cars have illegal tint around here. I’ve been pulled over a couple times and they never said a word about the tint. If you don’t want the hassle then don’t tint your fronts. I roll the dice.”

Da-Aaron: “Tint them as dark as you want. Get away with it as long as you can. If you get caught, get it fixed and get the fix-it ticket signed off. Repeat process.”

Mushrooms: “It’s exactly like the speed limit thing. You are taking a gamble. Whether the cop wants to pursue this issue with you depends on your alignment with the stars.”

And then there are the hardcore disbelievers.

YamatoSoup: “This is by design (and) gives police a reason to pull over just about anyone they feel like.”

But in reality, the thread is misleading and illegally tinted windows can have consequences that go beyond playing cat and mouse with law enforcement.

Fines for illegal tints, indeed, are typically just a $25 fix-it ticket. But there is leeway for a fine as high as $197.

Fines are minor, however, compared to what can happen if you’re involved in a crash.

Barry Goldberg is an attorney in Woodland Hills and warns, “If you are in an auto accident that you believe was caused by the other driver’s tinted windows, be sure to take pictures of the car before the evidence is removed or destroyed.

“Whether the windows were tinted could become an important part of the theory of liability that your experienced personal injury attorney uses to help you recover financial damages.”

Plenty of loopholes

To be sure, navigating your way through the labyrinth of vehicle window tinting can be daunting.

Making things even more challenging is the fact that professionals who tint aren’t prosecuted for putting up tints that violate state standards.

One solution could be to require window tints be reviewed during the DMV’s state-mandated smog checks.

As Barrios says, “It’s not illegal for them to tint the windows. It’s illegal for the driver.”

Although no state appears to allow windshield tinting, most — including California — are OK with a top tint strip and even in the Golden State you can go nuts tinting back side windows as well as the rear window.

For the back of the vehicle, the rule is that so long as you have side mirrors, “any darkness can be used.”

But the cockpit is a different matter. No extra tinting on the front side windows and definitely no tinting on the windshield.

Greg Hill, a Torrance attorney, volunteers, “Our office has informally asked several police officers about this law and what constitutes a violation. The consensus response is that basically any after-market window tinting is illegal.”

Yes and no.

There the doctor’s note loophole and, strangely, tinting businesses aren’t required to keep a record or even ask why someone wants heavy tinting.

West Coast Tint in San Bernardino, for example, boldly advertises reasons for more tint: It cuts hazardous glare, enhances appearance and increases safety and security.

A Riverside woman shares she was concerned about extra tinting, but only because she feared ruining her new Mercedes. She left Prestige Window and Tint in San Bernardino satisfied.

“The tint is amazing, the car looks awesome,” she shares. “I got limo in the back, dark in the two front!”

David Whiting is the award-winning Metro Columnist at The Orange County Register. He also can be heard on radio, has served as a television news anchor and speaks frequently at organizations and universities. He previously was an assistant managing editor and has received Columbia University’s Race and Ethnicity Award, National Headliner awards and Sigma Delta Chi’s Public Service Award. He recently was invited to participate in an exchange program with Chinese journalists. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and his master’s from Columbia University’s Graduate School for Journalism. He is a two-time Ironman, a two-time Boston marathoner and has climbed the highest mountains in Africa and North and South America.

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